Montréal Street Art

Launching our newest series of travel photo journals with the vibrant and creative street art of Montréal

Walking around Montréal, you’ll find intricate street art at every corner, particularly on the Saint-Laurent Boulevard, affectionately known as “La Main” as it’s a long street, 11km, that runs north to south across the city, and its surrounding areas. Why are there so many artistic murals all over the place? Well, the city has actively promoted street art for nearing to 60 years – since 1961, the Quebec government has required public building projects to devote 1% of their budget to initiatives in art. This policy has resulted in around 3,500 public art works to be produced so far and there’s even an annual festival in June, MURAL Festival, dedicated to street art.

“Royalty” in support of @bumi_ong, NGO dedicated to orphans in DRC. Photo taken by Lorna Wightman

Mural by @general_beyung, Portuguese matador at Parc du Portugal to commemorate the city’s Portuguese diaspora. Photo taken by Lorna Wightman